


the science of dreaming

by DesertLily



Series: Found Family Bingo 2020 [8]
Category: The Mechanisms (Band)
Genre: Comfort No Hurt, Domestic Fluff, Dreaming, Exhaustion, Family of Choice, Fluff, Found Family, Found Family Bingo 2020, Gen, Overworking, Raphaella is a workaholic, The Mechanisms as a family, platonic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-27
Updated: 2021-01-27
Packaged: 2021-03-12 19:00:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29015481
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DesertLily/pseuds/DesertLily
Summary: After working herself into exhaustion, Raphaella's dreams give her some clarity as to just who exactly she considers family.
Relationships: Drumbot Brian & Raphaella la Cognizi, Raphaella la Cognizi & The Mechanisms Ensemble
Series: Found Family Bingo 2020 [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1889911
Kudos: 25





	the science of dreaming

**Author's Note:**

> For the 'dreaming' prompt on my Found Family Bingo card. The Mechs get to be a little soft. As a treat.

If anyone dared to accuse Raphaella of overworking herself, her first response would be to shoot them. Her second response would be to assure them that she was, in fact,  _ perfectly fine _ . So what if she had lost track of when she’d last slept? If she could stand, she could work. Perhaps...Perhaps Raphaella had a less than healthy relationship with her work but she was  _ immortal _ ; the state of her health had stopped being a concern centuries ago. So she worked until she dropped, was killed, or was (unjustly) dragged out of her lab. Despite their immoral nature, the others seemed to have the inexplicable ability to care. How disgusting - even if the sentiment was returned far more than she would ever admit. They were a family in the most complex and dysfunctional sense. 

Raphaella could try and explain the experiments she was working on but she was fairly certain that it would just lead to more than a few blank looks. And honestly? It wasn’t worth explaining. All that mattered was that she understood it; that she gained this small morsel of knowledge to feed her endless hunger in regards to everything scientific. It was that hunger that made it so hard to stop working. She wasn’t entirely sure how long she had been working for. Hours? Days?  _ Weeks? _ What she  _ did _ know was that her eyes kept drooping as sleep tried to tempt her. But it wouldn’t be the first time Raphaella resisted its temptation nor would it be the last. It was unnecessary. Perhaps it would give her a ‘clearer mind’ but it would also mean briefly halting her experiment part way through and that was by no means acceptable. That was, of course, until she was forced to. This time, she wasn’t dragged from her lab in an act of concern. Instead, her eyes kept drooping and drooping until they stayed closed. She was filled with the vague sensation of falling before darkness claimed her. 

Raphaella’s dreams had always been..odd. At least, as far back she remembered, they had been. Most of the time, they took the form of memories from a different life that would drift into the back of her mind the second she woke up. Raphaella still knew how she had come to be and what had led to her self-mechanisation, but these memories were...different. Her dreams were filled with the faces of people she had once loved and whose names had long since been lost to time. She remembered being  _ good _ . She remembered being everything she now wasn’t. In the realm of sleep, the memories offered a degree of comfort.  _ They soothed her _ . They were her happiest memories, after all. Even if she did her best to suppress them. 

But it wasn’t her mortal life that haunted her dreams this time. It was a different kind of family; the happiest memories of the newest version of herself. 

Like an inconsistent train of thought, the dream danced from memory to memory as it indulged the moments that made her feel happiest. Tea with the Toy Soldier. Helping Nastya with repairs on the Aurora. Letting Marius braid her hair. Sewing with Jonny. Burning down a planet with Ashes. The time Brian had let her ‘experiment’ as to how many of her magnets would stick to him Letting Ivy read to her. A three day long crime spree with Tim. Just simple, sincere moments with her family that made her grateful enough to be able to have lived long enough to meet them. 

When she woke up, she was laying on a bed that  _ definitely _ wasn’t her own. It was far softer and more comfortable than the cot she had set up in her lab. Raphaella also noted that there was someone laying besides her. They were cold and surprisingly solid as she rested her head back against them.  _ Brian _ . Naturally. She was fairly certain none of the others had the patience to stay with her after she worked herself into exhaustion - mostly because of how long it took her to wake up again. But Brian must have been on boring mode to stick around. Raphaella wouldn’t dare say it out loud, but it was somewhat  _ reassuring _ . “I’m fairly certain I would have been fine in my lab.” 

“Of course you would have been.” There was something in Brian’s voice that bordered on sarcasm but was more amusement than anything. He sat up, fixing her with what could only be described as a stern look. “But something tells me you’re far more comfortable here than on the floor of your lab, covered in broken glass and whatever questionable acid you were experimenting with this time.” 

She huffed, narrowing her eyes. “Fuck you for being right.” Raphaella stretched her wings out as much as she could on the bed, trying to get rid of the ache that came after keeping them still for so long. “...It’s entirely unfair that you have the comfiest bed, by the way. Since you barely use it.” She poked him square in the chest. “Utterly unjust.” 

“It’s a large bed and it's comfortable. Perfect for dealing with idiots that refuse to look after themselves. Since someone here needs to.” The words were accompanied with a playful nudge that Raphaella was quick to return. Brian moved to help her sit up, laughing at the quiet whine she let out as he did. “Ivy estimated when you would wake up so I got Marius to drop something off for you to eat, alongside some water. Since I know you well enough to know how forgetful you are when you get lost in your experiments.” Raph flipped him off. 

With a huff, she moved to pick up the glass of water. “You’re not my dad, Brian. It’s not your job to look after us.” Raphaella did her best not to roll her eyes as she gulped down most of the water. It wasn’t until she’d started drinking that she realised just how thirsty she had been. 

Brian raised an eyebrow. “Of course I’m not.” He shook his head as he moved to pass her the plate - nothing too grand, just some bacon, eggs, and toast. “But I do actually like looking after you all. Both versions of me like knowing you’re safe. The means of making sure you’re comfortable justify the ends. The ends of making sure you all look after yourselves justifies the means.” Raphaella was very much aware of having her neck snapped more than a few times in order to get her to leave her lab. 

“Brian?” She waited for him to meet her eyes before speaking again. “Thank you.” A comfortable silence fell between them as she ate. Though, Raphaella did eventually speak up. “...I can and will throw you out of the airlock myself if you tell anyone about this sappy shit, understood?” Raphaella grinned as he nodded. “Good.” 

It was then that Raphaella understood just exactly  _ why _ her dreams had been different. It was because she didn’t have to long for her mortal family and who she used to be anymore. She had a new family that was infinitely greater than they had ever been, and she was by far a better version of herself now. After all, what was the point in acting good and moral when you could act out and truly  _ live _ amongst those that understood you more than anyone else ever could? 

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and kudos are always appreciated or hmu @ desert-lily on tumblr


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